Car roof



March 17, 1936. c, D, B N A Y 2,034,381

CAR ROOF Filed Sept. 16, 1955 Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE CAR- ROOF Application September 16, 1935, Serial No.40,749

3 Claims.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending applicationfor patent for improvement in Car roof, Serial No. 659,493 filed March3, 1933.

The invention consists in the arrangements and combinations hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a car roof embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through one-half of the roof onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section longitudinally of the car through a portionof the roof on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the seam construction of Fig. 3.

According to the present invention, roof sheets I extend from side plate2 to side plate 2 and have flat end portions l5 which are turned downbeyond and secured to the side plates2. Between the eaves, each roofsheet is offset near the longitudinal middle thereof to form. an upperpanel 3, a lower panel 4 and a substantially vertical web 5 integralwith said panels, which web gradually decreases in depth in its endportions until it vanishes at the eaves and the two panels merge intothe flat end portions.

In the construction illustrated, the upper panel 3 is plain and thelower panel 4 has an upstanding angular marginal flange l2. The sheetsare all arranged in the same way with the margin of the plain upperflange resting flatwise on the horizontal portion of the upstandingangular flange l2 of the adjacent sheet with their edges substantiallyflush and secured together by welds l6. In the case of thin sheets, itis preferable to weld them by arc welding; but in the case of thicksheets, the welds may be of added high tensile metal which has theadvantage of increasing the strength of the compressive region of theroof considered as a beam.

In the construction illustrated, the sheets are so made and spaced thatthe distance from the vertical portion of the upstanding flange of onesheet to the web of its own sheet is greater than the distance from saidflange to the web of the sheet next adjacent thereto. This arrangement,coupled with the fact that the top panel projects beyond the verticalportion of the flange of the next sheet and is reinforced by thehorizontal portion of said flange, serves to increase the efficiency ofthe upper panels in taking care of compression stresses. In order tofurther increase such efiiciency, it is desirable to use a second weldI3, namely, a weld of added metal at the angle between the upper paneland the upright portion of the said flange.

What I claim is:

1. A car roof comprising side plates and roof sheets extending from sideplate to side plate, each sheet having flat end portions bent downbeyond the side plates and having the portion between said flat endportions ofiset near the longitudinal middle thereof to form a plainupper panel, a lower panel, and a substantially vertical web integralwith said panels, which web decreases in depth to the vanishing point atthe eaves, the lower panel having an upstanding angular side flange, themargin of the upper panel of one sheet resting on the angular sideflange of the next sheet with the edge of said upper panel flush withthe edge of said flange, and welds uniting the outer side edges of therespective upper panels of the sheet with the side edges of theupstanding side flanges of the lower panels throughout their lengthwhereby the upper surfaces of the upper panels are left substantiallyfree from obstructions.

2. A car roof comprising roof sheets offset to form plain upper panels,lower panels with upstanding angular side flanges and webs connectingsaid panels, said sheets being arranged with the side margins of theupper panels resting on the horizontal top portion of the angularflanges of the lower panels with the edges of said upper flangessubstantially flush with the edges of said flanges, welds opposite anduniting said edges together throughout their length and other welds ofadded metal underneath said upper panels and uniting the upper panels tothe vertical portions of said flanges, whereby the upper surfaces of theupper panels are left substantially free from obstructions.

3. A car roof comprising roof sheets offset to form plain upper panels,lower panels with upstanding angular side flanges and webs connectingsaid panels, said sheets being arranged with the side margins of theupper panels resting on the horizontal top portion of the angularflanges of the lower panels with the edges of said upper flangessubstantially flush with the edges of said flanges, welds uniting saidedges together and other welds of added metal underneath said upperpanels and uniting the upper panels to the vertical portions of saidflanges, whereby the upper surfaces of the upper panels are leftsubstantially free from obstructions, the vertical portion of the flangeof a sheet being spaced further from the web of its own sheet than fromthe web of the sheet next adjacent to said flange.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL.

